Perhaps for Friendship's Sake
by Minuit
Summary: Life in the Yagyu household hasn't been normal since the Troopers moved in. When Nasuti recieves an anonymous present, however, some days prove stranger than others. Contains a little bit of shounen ai.


Author's Note/Disclaimer: Hiya! We all know that the Samurai Troopers don't belong to me. They belong to Sunrise, which is quite stubborn about refusing to sell. Not like I have any money, anyway, I suppose. Opinions expressed on the MaSho are the characters' and not mine. I think they're rather adorable. ^_^ The phrase "Sore wa himitsu desu" means "That is a secret" and is Xelloss's catchphrase in Slayers. *grins* Couldn't resist.... Anyway, Japan celebrates Valentine's Day a little differently than we do. Girls give the guys they like chocolate on Valentine's Day. If a guy likes the girl back, he gives her chocolate on White Day, March 14th. It also happens to be Shin's birthday, but that's beside the point.

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"Perhaps for Friendship's Sake"

The delicate scent drifted on the light air currents provided by the open window in Nasuti's room. A light spring breeze teased the hair of the girl, who was curled in a ball fast asleep on her bed. The fragrance teased her consciousness, leaving her on the edge of waking. Nasuti opened her eyes slowly, squinting against the bright light that filtered in through the thin curtains. She uncurled carefully and sat up, then clasped her hands above her head and arched her back, wincing at each pop. Feeling more awake, she registered for the first time the rather large vase of roses on her vanity.

Nasuti blinked.

Untangling herself from her sheets and jumping out of bed so quickly that she almost ended up in the roses face-first, Nasuti scrambled over to investigate. She had no idea how they came to be there – though they were quite lovely, she mused. A dozen red roses, framed with ferns and baby's breath, were arranged tastefully in a crystal vase. In the center, a lavender rose and a white rose peered out, stems intertwined. A large envelope was propped against the vase. Nasuti grabbed it and ripped it open.

_Happy White Day! _it read in computer script.

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Red Roses: Romance, respect, courage

White: Purity, innocence, youthfulness

Pink: Gentleness, gratitude, happiness

Yellow: Friendship, joy, freedom

Peach: Appreciation, sympathy, modesty

Coral: Desire, enthusiasm, devotion

Lavender: Love at first sight, enchantment, fascination

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~ Sore wa himitsu desu

Nasuti tapped the card against her hand, trying to imagine who could have sent such a bouquet. It was obviously expensive, and the symbolism was – flattering, to say the least. _'Well, whoever the sender is, he's quite the romantic.... Hey, wait a minute! What was he doing in my room while I was asleep???' _Her indignation only lasted a moment, however, and her gaze softened as she picked up the vase, burying her nose in the fragrant blossoms. _'I guess... just this once... I won't kill him.'_

But who was it? Nasuti could feel it beginning to wear on her patience as she changed into her clothes and brushed her hair. She stared dreamily at the flowers and their reflection in the vanity's mirror as she brushed, the rhythmic strokes lulling her and allowing for thought. She had spent Valentine's Day with her parents in France, though she had sent a large package of French chocolate home to the guys. Nasuti smiled at the memory of the note she had enclosed.

_'Now remember, this is for ALL of you. Shin, make sure Touma and Shuu don't eat all of it, and make sure that Ryo and Seiji eat their parts. You're the only one I can trust to make sure everything goes smoothly, ne? Oh, and don't let Byakuen have any, no matter what Ryo says. Chocolate isn't good for cats. Ryo, you're really sweet, but it just isn't a good idea…'_

Those boys would never grow up, she decided with a smile. They had called her upon receiving the package, shifting the phone from person to person as they all attempted to thank her at once. Ryo especially had hogged the phone, trying to thank her and complain that he knew better than to feed Byakuen the chocolate at the same time. The conversation had broken up abruptly when Shin discovered that Byakuen had taken advantage of the distraction and was calmly sitting on the counter licking up the candy. None of them could explain how they had failed to notice a several-hundred pound tiger leaping onto a counter that was in plain sight from the telephone, but that was to be expected from that group. Nasuti sighed at the recollection and began braiding one of the red roses into her hair. Her eyes lit up with sudden comprehension.

_Ryo!_

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It made perfect sense- he was always so courteous to her, always so loyal and protective and sweet… plus the red roses fit him perfectly! The fact that she had a _minor_ crush on him might have played a part in her reasoning, but Nasuti chose to ignore that fact as she flew out of her room and down the stairs. Dashing around a corner at full speed, she of course didn't see Ryo running down the other end of the hallway until it was too late. They collided, knocking each other over from the momentum.

Nasuti sat up, shaking her head slightly to clear it. She saw that it was indeed Ryo that she had just run into and began blushing furiously. Ryo sat up as well, blinking. When he saw that it was Nasuti, he grinned widely. Standing up, he offered her a hand, which she shakily accepted. 

"I was just lookin' for ya, Nasuti!" he commented.

"R-really?" she squeaked. Mentally, she whacked herself in the head. _'Lovely. Do you suppose that you could manage to sound any MORE like a mouse? Maybe then Byakuen would eat you and you'd save yourself some embarrassment!'_ Collecting herself, she managed to get out "I was looking for you, too!" in something resembling her normal speaking voice. Brushing her hair away from her face, she smiled at him.

"Well, that makes it easy, then." He smiled back, but his attention was suddenly distracted. He looked down at his hands, then dropped to hands and knees and began searching the floor. "I had something…."

Nasuti held back a snicker as Ryo crawled around, poking his nose under the hall table and through a nearby doorway. "I know it's here somewhere…." he murmured to no one in particular. "Ah! Found it!" Ryo exited the room he had crawled into, this time standing up – pity, that, Nasuti mused. He had looked so cute…. 

"This was for you," he said, looking a little sheepish. He held out a single yellow rose. A card was attached beneath the flower.

"Oh… thank you…." Nasuti accepted the flower, trying to cover her confusion. _'Another one? But he already gave me flowers....'_

Ryo grinned and fluffed her hair, knocking the red rose to the floor without noticing it. "I gotta go. Byakuen and I are gonna go for a walk in the woods today. See ya!" he called, and with a wave of his hand disappeared down the stairs.

Nasuti stood in the hallway, clutching the yellow rose and watching him leave. _'But… I don't....' _ Looking down at the flower, she tore off the card and opened it.

__

'Happy White Day, Nasuti! You're a great friend to all of us, and you'll never know how much you mean to me.'

At this, Nasuti sighed happily and rolled her eyes heavenward.

'You're the greatest, sis. ~Ryo'

Sis?

Sister?

Not good.

The only coherent thoughts in Nasuti's mind centered on getting away from the house and her friends as she took off down the stairs, blinded by quickly forming tears. She darted through the kitchen, completely ignoring Shin and Shu's cheerful greetings as she ran out the side door.

Shin watched her retreating figure, looking pensive. "I hope nothing's wrong…"

Shu frowned. "Sure hope not. Hey, she didn't even tell ya happy birthday."

Shin smiled at his friend. "Well, it's not as though we're celebrating it until tomorrow. No need to ruin anyone's romantic evening, ne?"

Shu sighed melodramatically. "What romantic evenings? I'm the only one with anything planned. Speakin' of, what do ya think I should take for her?"

"Does she even know you're coming?" Shin tried to sound innocent, though his eyes were twinkling as he teased his friend. He reached into the cupboard and began pulling out flour, sugar, and other dry ingredients.

"Well…" Shu pushed his fingers together.

Shin twirled around, disbelieving. "You didn't TELL her?"

"She doesn't exactly know what White Day is, okay?" Shu said defensively. He grinned and put his hands behind his head, leaning back in his chair in the ultimate pose of self-confidence. "I figured I'd stop by, take her a little somethin', find out if she likes me…"

"I don't know… I was always under the impression she liked good-looking guys." Shin teased.

"Hey, I'm good looking! Especially compared to what she's been hangin' out with!" Shu sputtered.

Shin shook his head, smiling. "If you say so, my friend." His voice lowered slightly and lost the teasing edge. "I wouldn't really know what to give a girl I liked."

Shu studied him for a minute. "Shin?"

"It's nothing." His tone didn't invite further conversation. He continued to mix together dry ingredients as Shu watched in silence, wondering. Shin went to the refrigerator and leaned in, searching for something. He came out with a carton of eggs and a grin on his face. "You know, I wouldn't try asking any of the other guys to help you either. Can you imagine asking Seiji for advice with romance?"

Shu burst out laughing. "He can't even look at a girl without freaking out! Imagine him tryin' to tell me what to get for one!"

Shin began to laugh too. "And Touma…. Every time anything romantic comes up, he runs off to the library or somewhere like that."

"You'd think after all that research he's done, he'd discover hormones."

"Ryo needs to do some research there too. I'd swear that guy's never even thought about kissing a girl!" Shin began to mix the dry and wet ingredients together, beating them with a bit more energy than necessary.

Shu snickered. "Face it, they're all hopeless." He got up and went over to where Shin was mixing batter. "Ooh, what's that?"

Shin bopped him gently. "Nothing for you right now. Go do your shopping or whatever."

"Yeah, I guess I'd better," Shu sighed as he turned to leave. He paused in the doorway, one hand on the frame. "Hey Shin…" he trailed off, his voice serious for the first time in their conversation.

"Yeah?"

"If ya need help or anything… you know I'm there, man."

Shin smiled at him. "Thanks."

"No prob. Oh, and Shin?"

"Yeah?"

"_What_ do you get a 400-year old priestess?"

Shin sweatdropped. "Maybe you should ask one of the MaSho? If anyone knows what Kayura likes, it'd be them."

Shu's eyes lit up. "Great idea! Okay, don't wait up!" Shu left, humming to himself. 

Shin snorted and began to pour the batter into a cake pan. _'I really hope Nasuti's okay…'_

************************

Nasuti was actually not all that okay at the moment. Though it was hard to see through her tears, she had found a meadow a fair distance from both the house and the woods she assumed Ryo would be walking in. Sitting and leaning against one of the few trees, she began to cry harder. "So… I guess… I was just imagining that he liked me," she sniffled. "I suppose I can at least be grateful he didn't find out."

A branch above her shook slightly. Nasuti sincerely hoped that a squirrel wasn't about to jump down and rip her throat out, although it would be appropriate for the way this day was going. Then again, maybe it would be nice if one did. Save her from any _more_ embarrassment.

Nasuti's tears slowed, then dried. Sniffling a little, she picked up a stick and began to push it around in the dirt. "Men are jerks, anyway," she muttered, trying to convince herself. "Just when you think you understand them, they throw everything right back in your face and don't even _notice_." She occupied herself with building a little pile of dust and pebbles, using her stick to shape it. While pointless, it at least occupied a disproportionate amount of her attention.

"What was it Kayura told me once?" Nasuti wondered out loud. The two occasionally met for tea, conversation, and sympathy about living with so many guys. It seemed that Kayura had said something about love once… "Oh, yeah. 'The fastest way to a man's heart is to knock a hole in his ribcage and pull it out.'" The branch above her shook rather more violently, but Nasuti was too absorbed in her stick to notice. "A little messy though, and knowing Ryo he'd probably just live through it. You can never trust a guy."

_'You're the only one I can trust to make sure everything goes smoothly, ne?'_

__

Nasuti blinked. Where had THAT come from? Besides, she liked Ryo. Sure, Shin was trustworthy, but he wasn't the same as Ryo. Ryo was sweet, cute, loyal, passionate….

_'Not that Shin isn't,'_ the annoying little inner voice whispered. Nasuti shook her head, trying to knock the voice was out. "Ryo and Shin are as opposite as… well… fire and water," she sweatdropped. Putting the issue firmly out of her mind, she went back to making her little dirtcastle. It was a cute little dirtcastle, she thought disinterestedly. The kind a tiny fairy princess could wait in, watching over the sea…

Oh, for goodness' sake. Nasuti smushed the little castle into the ground. This was getting her nowhere. "Besides, even if I possibly maybe sort of liked Shin, he'd never care about me. After all, Ryo called me 'sis'," she sighed, her head drooping down. "That's probably how all the guys feel."

Wait a minute. Roses. "Well, all but one," she amended thoughtfully. "But who left them? Obviously not Ryo, and Touma doesn't even know what romance is. I'm more Seiji's sister than Ryo's – at least, I thought – and Shu's been mooning around over Kayura for too long to have sent me those. Shin…?" Nasuti trailed off. She poked her stick through the remains of her castle. "Nah. He couldn't like me. Besides, if I can change my mind that quickly, then something isn't right. Then again, I _am_ listening to a voice in my head. Maybe I ought to take a vacation."

Hugging her knees to her chest, she stared off at the wildflowers, their heads bobbing in the breeze. She watched the bright heads bow gracefully to each other. A fluffy golden dandelion reminded her of Seiji, and she smiled in spite of herself. She closed her eyes and listened to the wind whistle softly through the tree's branches. A few moments later, she opened her eyes again with a sudden glimmer of comprehension. It was true that she had been lonely before falling in with the boys; the war had been kind to her in that respect. Ryo was the one that she had been with the most often of the five, and he was the one who worried most obviously about her welfare because it was in his nature to be concerned for his friends. She had never been in love before... was it possible that she had simply been trying to force it? If so, did that peculiar sensation that she sometimes got when Shin looked at her mean something? They do say that love turns up in the most unexpected places.... Her smile fell as she muttered, "Not that it matters. Shin's never given me a reason to believe that he likes me, and I'm not making the mistake of trying to tell a guy something like that twice in one day, especially when it's so sudden."

Still, the thought nagged at her mind. Sighing, she allowed herself to fantasize for one delicious moment before shaking her head briskly and breaking the stick that she had been playing with in half. Brushing herself off and wiping her face to remove any trace of tearstains, she made her way back to the house. There was, after all, work to be done. 

A few moments later, the tree branch shook heavily, leaves breaking from their stems and a few early blossoms falling to the ground. They were followed an instant later by a golden-haired boy, half-jumping, half-falling. Despite that, he landed gracefully on his feet and knelt to the ground, biting his lip. Seiji shook his head as if trying to remove the words he had just overheard. "So… she is my sister, then. I understand."

Well… great. He hadn't meant to overhear her. He had been in the tree meditating so deeply that he hadn't noticed her arrival. He first realized she was there when she began sobbing, and she had started thinking out loud before he could get down from the tree without fear of startling her – or fear of her killing him for invading her privacy. Unfortunately, he had learned rather more than he wanted to know.

Seiji took up Nasuti's position, leaning against the tree trunk with knees hugged to his chest. He also distantly noted the bright flowers, but to him they seemed a gaudy mockery. This was unexpected, at least. He had thought that she had a crush on Ryo, perhaps, but Ryo was so obviously uninterested in girls at all that he had hoped she would get over him soon. Shin was a completely different story.

"It would seem that I have two choices," Seiji whispered softly. On the one hand, Nasuti's happiness was the most important thing in the world, wasn't it? On the other… well, there was something to be said for personal happiness as well. Besides, couldn't he make Nasuti every bit as happy as Shin could? For that matter, Shin had never said a word about Nasuti. It was entirely possible that he didn't even like her that way, and he couldn't let Nasuti be hurt again.

Seiji sat for a few more minutes, rocking back and forth slightly and absorbing the warm sunlight. He put a hand to his face and was mildly surprised to find his cheek wet. He swiped an arm against his eyes roughly. The wind blew gently, ruffling his shaggy mane in a comforting manner. Sighing, he stood up stiffly and turned towards the house.

*****************************

Shin checked the cake in the oven for the third time. He was puttering around nervously now, aching for something to do. Nasuti had come in a little while ago, but as soon as he greeted her she had eeped and excused herself. He was unsure whether he should give her space or try to find out what was wrong. Eh, why did love have to be so confusing, anyway?

"Shin," came a cool voice from the doorway. Shin looked over and saw that Seiji was leaning against the doorframe, watching him.

"Ah, Seiji, do you need something?" Shin asked. Seiji simply watched him, eyes narrowed in an unreadable expression. Shin sweatdropped. "Seiji?" He started towards his friend, but something in the way Seiji was looking at him made him hesitate. He opted for ignoring the blond and waiting for him to say what was on his mind. Shin went over to the refrigerator instead, reaching in deeply in an attempt to find the icing he had made and hidden the night before.

"Do you care for Nasuti?" Seiji's question was sudden enough to make Shin try to straighten up while still half-inside the refrigerator. 

"Itai…." Shin rubbed his head as he carefully backed out of the fridge, icing in hand. "Of course. We all like Nasuti."

"You know that's not what I meant." Seiji's voice was devoid of any emotion whatsoever, and it was quite frankly beginning to creep Shin out.

"Umm?" Shin stalled. Seiji's visible eye narrowed into a penetrating glare. Shin began to feel a bit uncomfortable. _No wonder he doesn't leave both eyes free, if this is what he looks like with one...._

"I…well…. Why do you ask?" Shin evaded the question with another question.

"Just answer me."

"Well…. If you must know, _yes_." Shin sighed. "Who wouldn't? She's beautiful! She's sweet enough to let five teenage guys live in her house rent-free, and she's always so thoughtful…." He checked himself sharply, then glanced up. Seiji's head was tilted downwards, his hair shadowing his face.

"How much do you love her?" Seiji asked in a soft voice, so low that Shin had to strain to make out the words. He cast about for a suitable answer. How did Seiji expect him to answer that, anyway? You can't put a quantity on something like love, after all! Still…. Shin had a feeling that this conversation was important, somehow.

Seiji looked up, brushing his hair out of his face. Shin found himself staring directly into his icy violet gaze. It was impossible to hide anything from those eyes, Shin reflected. They saw through lies and into a person's soul- not necessarily a _good_ thing, he thought as he tried to find an answer to such a question. "Enough to know that she deserves someone far better than me," Shin finally answered, breaking away from the too-sharp eyes.

"I see." Seiji's voice was flat. Shin winced. Seiji's head tilted forward again, obscuring his eyes. "I believe you. Because you are my friend, I believe you." He refused to answer Shin's questions asking if he was okay and just what on earth that was all about anyway. Sighing, Shin left him standing in the doorway and went to check on his cake.

He turned off the oven, slipped on his mitts, and pulled out the cake. Shin put it on the counter, testing to be sure it was cooked through. He felt around for the icing, intending to frost the cake while it was still hot so the sugary fluff would melt the way Touma liked it. Not finding it, he turned to look – and discovered Seiji hovering not three inches from his face. A high-pitched imitation of Nasuti's previous "eep" escaped him, followed by "Seiji, don't _do_ that!"

Seiji stared at him and didn't move back. It seemed an eternity to Shin, who barely dared to breathe with Seiji so close and acting so strangely. "I believe you," Seiji repeated. "But if I _ever_ find that you've made her unhappy…." Seiji left the threat dangling as his visible eye narrowed in an openly hostile manner. After a moment, he nodded and pulled away. He walked out of the kitchen without so much as a glance behind him. Shin decided that this would indeed be a very good time to sit down as his knees gave out from under him. '_Funny, I always thought that sort of threat was so cliché in movies. It's really quite effective, actually....'_

*****************************

Seiji stood in the middle of the bedroom he shared with Touma, looking at the receipt in his hand. He closed his eyes briefly, a spasm of pain crossing his face. He quickly ripped the ticket, careful to remove only his name, address, and the price. The remaining portion he shoved in the pocket of the light blue jacket he had taken from the laundry room. Seiji crumpled up what was left and tossed it carelessly at the trashcan. He turned and headed out the door, jacket in hand.

**************************

Seiji popped his head into the laundry room, where Nasuti was muttering irritably to herself about chauvinistic males that expected women to clean their clothes as she sorted laundry. She had evidently decided to try and forget the events of the morning – not an easy task, judging from the slightly watery eyes that contradicted her annoyed grumbling. 

"Nasuti?"

She looked up, startled, then relaxed as she saw who it was. "Eh, Seiji, can't you make a bit more noise when you walk?" She grinned, inviting him to banter with her. Seiji, however, was refusing to even meet her eyes.

"Shin's jacket got left out of the laundry," he said gruffly, thrusting it at her. She grabbed it reflexively, then blinked as Seiji disappeared again. 

"I swear, that boy gets more antisocial every day," she sighed. Instinctively she checked the pockets of the jacket before throwing it in the water – she would never forget the time she washed a yoroi ball with Shu's clothes. Ever since then, the boys had made a joke of finding the strangest things they could to send down in their pockets. This time, however, all she found was a ripped piece of paper. Smoothing it out, she glanced over it to see if it was anything important – and if so, what she could ransom it for. Her eyes widened as she read the paper once, then twice. Thoroughly convinced after the third time, she dashed up the stairs and toward the kitchen, passing Seiji in the hallway. Seiji simply watched her run by without comment.

*************************

Shin was putting the final touches on the cake when he suddenly felt a pair of arms grab him around the neck, nearly cutting off his air supply. "Na- Nasuti?" he gasped as he caught a glimpse of chestnut hair.

She giggled. "Oh, Shin! Thank you _so_ much for the White Day present!"

"But… I didn't – I mean, I wanted to, but I didn't know…." Shin felt his grasp on the situation becoming more precarious with each passing minute. Why was everyone acting so strangely today? Not that he minded how Nasuti was acting, but this had definitely not been the average day.

"Oh, I know you sent the roses," she smiled, letting go of him so that he could face her. "They're _so_ beautiful! I loved them!"

"But…." Shin trailed off as Seiji stuck his head in the room from the doorway on Nasuti's blind side. The blond nodded. "I'm glad you like them?" Shin half-asked, hoping that was what Seiji meant. Apparently it was, for Seiji nodded again and disappeared. Nasuti, meanwhile, was snuggling into his chest. 

"I like you too, Shin-chan," she murmured.

This was not quite fair to Shin, whose head was beginning to whirl. Still, he wasn't about to lose the moment he'd been waiting for. He noticed that he and Nasuti were almost the same height now – perfect, he thought as he kissed her cautiously on the cheek. She responded by tightening her hold on him. '_Seiji, I don't know what you did, but I'm going to have to find some way to thank you for this.'_

************************

Late that evening, long after the lights in Ryo's room had gone out (though the living room was still glowing and Shu had yet to return), a dark blue car pulled up into the driveway. Touma stepped out, gazing up at the stars all the while. He glanced towards the house and saw the silhouette of someone on the roof. He smiled involuntarily. It had become a ritual in the past year for Seiji to join him for his nightly stargazing; it served as an escape for the both of them.

Touma was a bit surprised when, upon entering the house, he saw Nasuti and Shin cuddling on the couch. He knew that Seiji liked Nasuti, but he hadn't been aware of Shin's feelings. They were far too absorbed in each other to notice his entrance, however.

"I still feel bad… you got me those beautiful flowers for White Day, and I haven't even given you your birthday present yet," Nasuti sighed.

"You gave me the best birthday present ever, Nasuti," Shin said gently, blushing a bit. He didn't like that she thought he gave her the roses when he hadn't, but when he had brought it up with Seiji that afternoon, the blond had simply brushed off his thanks and insisted that it was for the best Nasuti not know. Nasuti's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"That was unbearably sappy, you know." She whacked him with a pillow, then giggled at his surprised expression. "And I loved it."

Touma finished hanging his coat up and quietly moved to the stairs.

Touma generally used the window in his bedroom to get onto the roof, despite Nasuti's frequent protests and dire predictions that he would break his neck someday. When he entered the room, a bit of paper on the floor next to the trash can shone in a patch of moonlight, catching his attention. Picking it up, he smoothed the sheet out. He noted the name on the receipt, the price, and the address of a florist in tiny print at the bottom. His eyes narrowed momentarily, but he merely crumpled the paper again and made sure that it went inside the trashcan this time. Climbing out the window, he caught the edge of the roof and easily pulled himself up.

Seiji was there as expected, sitting with his legs tucked up against his chest. His face was completely blank as he watched the twinkling stars above him. Touma sat down next to him, and the two reposed in silence for a moment, each wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"I know what you did today." Touma's voice broke the stillness. Seiji said nothing, but even in the darkness Touma could see him tense up. "It was very… noble of you." Touma wasn't quite sure that came out the way he wanted, but it was too late to rephrase it.

"Courtesy would have permitted nothing else," was the quiet, slightly bitter reply. Touma could hear the unshed tears behind the words and cursed his awkwardness. He moved closer to his friend and hesitantly put an arm around his shoulders. Again Seiji tensed, and Touma was afraid that he would brush off the attempt at comfort until a sudden trill of feminine laughter floated up from the open living room windows. Shin's gentle laugh joined in. For a moment Seiji sat bolt upright, then leaned into his friend's embrace, hiding his face against Touma's shoulder.

"Hey, it'll – be okay," Touma murmured.

"You've never been in love, have you, Touma?" Seiji asked, choking a little. "You can't understand… how much it hurts."

Wrapped up in his sorrow, Seiji didn't notice the arm around his shoulders suddenly tighten. '_No, Seiji,'_ Touma thought sadly, '_it's you who can't understand. When you have to run from any romantic situation because you're afraid that you'll blurt out the truth... when you have to watch every word you say around your best friend because you can't let him find out your secret... when the only thing you can give your beloved on White Day is comfort for his broken heart... that's when it hurts.'_ Cautiously, Touma's free hand stole up to stroke the soft golden hair, but stopped before it got there. Sighing, he pushed his own hair out of his face instead. The stars shone down on the pair sympathetically as each recoiled unconsciously from the smell of roses hanging in the air.

__

~Owari

"Tell me please

The reason you broke this heart of glass

Your whisper, soft in my ear,

Fades away..."

Seiji and Touma, "Cool Moon"


End file.
